Acer Iconia A100 Android tablet (preview)

Acer may be taking on the iPad 2 with its 10.1in Iconia A500 Android tablet, but the Iconia A100 targets a slightly different market: It has a 7in screen so it's obviously smaller and lighter than its bigger brother.

Starting at $499, the Acer Iconia A100 shares a similar feature set to the Iconia A500. It runs the runs the latest Google Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' operating system, which is specifically designed for larger screened tablet devices, and is powered by a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor — the same used in the Galaxy Tab 10.1v.

The Acer Iconia A100 has 512MB of RAM compared to the Iconia A500's 1GB, and has 8GB of internal storage compared with 16GB and 32GB storage options of Acer's 10.1in tablet. However, it comes with expandable memory via a microSD card slot and it obviously sheds weight and size compared to the Iconia A500.

The Acer Iconia A100 also supports HD video playback, and has an HDMI-out port meaning it can be plugged directly into a high-definition television. It also has a USB port for storing and transferring files.

The Acer Iconia A100 will be available from mid-April from all major retailers. It will be offered first in a Wi-Fi only version, with a 3G version to come at a later, yet-to-be-announced date.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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